Even Though the Iceman Never Had a Chance of Fighting Against Jon Jones, it Looks like Even His Hopes of Getting a Response from ‘Bones’ Has Melted…
Jon Jones and Chuck Liddell had one of the weirdest beef in MMA. We don’t know exactly what Liddell has been doing over the past couple of years, but he’s definitely been listening to the wrong people. At the age of 49, he took on Tito Ortiz in the main event of Goldenboy MMA’s promotional debut. He also lost horrifically.
Anybody can get caught by a stray punch in this game, even the best fighters. But that’s not what happened to Liddell. He looked atrocious as he moved around the cage with the grace of a one-legged elephant. It was very harsh to watch because he is a legend of the game. Without the Iceman, the UFC would not be where it is today. But he should not have come back.
Jon Jones has issued a damning statement to Liddell, which you can see below. Talk about rubbing salt into the wound…
Yeah it’s official, I am never replying to chuck calling me out again. https://t.co/oDYJ91Aes0
— BONY (@JonnyBones) November 25, 2018
No Response
Earlier in the year, after Liddell announced his shocking return to professional MMA after 8 years out of action, he stunned the world even further by suggesting that after beating Ortiz he wanted to face Jon Jones. For all his flaws as a human being and the question marks around his PED use, Jones remains the greatest fighter in UFC light-heavyweight history, winning the title three times.
‘Bones,’ who is set to make his return against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232, has moved quickly to shut Liddell down even further with a harsh tweet. After a fan jokingly asked him if a fight against Liddell was off, Jones moved to shut this down once and for all. He tweeted:
“Yeah, it’s official, I am never replying to chuck calling me out again.”
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz #LiddellOrtiz3 pic.twitter.com/A48ZznimlC
— ZombieProphet (@GIFsZP) November 25, 2018
No Excuses
For his part, Liddell says he has no excuses for his performance. Well, we have one: he’s 48-years-old. There’s absolutely no shame in ageing and bowing gracefully out of the game, but Oscar De La Hoya should be ashamed of himself. Nobody enjoyed watching ‘The Iceman’ go out like that.
“I showed up, no excuses,” Liddell told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “I was in great shape, ready to go, and he was the better man. So, there it is. I loved being in there. You’ve got to understand, I love fighting. I never did this for money or fame. That’s not why I started. I did this because I love out there. I was ready to go. I wish I had done a few things different, obviously, but it happens.”
Respect
For his part, Liddell said that he has respect for Ortiz after this fight. The grizzled warrior told assembled media:
“I respect him. He gets in that ring. Anyone gets in that ring and they close the door and fight, I respect them. I have respect for him, have respect for the job he did and he got ready to fight and came out and fought hard, and he beat me.”
You’ve got to appreciate that.
